Traction adjusting device for vehicles



Aug. 25, 1936. H. ENDRES TRACTION ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR VEHICLES Filed March 21, 1936 INVENTOR HENRY [ND/P1525 m aee ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1936 TRAG'IION- ADJUSTING- mivion FOR.

. moms HenryEndi-es; ParkPlace; Oreg. Application: March:- 21, 1936,. Serial Nm 703M5- 3'; Claims (0]..1881-16) V This-inventionrelates todevices for equalizing:v thetraction onthe-driving wheels of. an auto-- motivevehicletoenable the vehicle to: pull-out of a mud hole or. asimilar low. traction piece of terrene when the-power of? the vehicle tends. to

bewasted by. one wheel slipping whiletheother. remains anchored on-firm ground, due: to the characteristic action of: the differential gearnecessary inallvehicles.

Qbviously thezcorrect way to retardv the wheel that. tendsto slip is by: a partial application of. brakes to the slipping wheel, when the difierential will deliver the power to both wheels when the-:resistance-isrequalized. Combined resistance of the wheel that had slipped on the soft surface and the braking function applied to it, is then equal to the power applied to the other wheel and the vehicle moves out of the difficult position.

Therefore, my invention relates to means for selectively applying an instantaneous partial braking effect to either wheel as may be required, instantly releasing it when the need for its partial holding is past, while retaining the service braking equipment of the vehicle in unimpaired position and in nowise interfering with its ordinary use nor preventing theinstant application of the entire braking effect of the service brakes, whether or not the device above referred to is being used or not.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combination of parts, hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization, may be better understood by the following description, taken in connection with the following drawing forming a part thereof, in which,-

Fig. I is in elevation, a figure illustrating some of the essential features of my new invention, and shows the combination of parts in their normal position when the auxiliary braking or equalizing device is not being used, and may likewise indicate either the off or on position of the service braking equipment;

Fig. II is an orthographic projection of Fig. I;

Fig. III is a view showing the peculiar action of the jack-knife lever when the equalizing function is being employed, the said jack-knife lever beings hereinafter more a completely; described in detail: V

Fig. IV is a: diagrammatic: layout showing the: application of the service brakes;

Fig;. V is:a*.diagrammatic- View of" the cable K controlled.- means for applying, the special :func'r tion of? myequalizing: device: to the righthmd. drivingwheel,ofadvehicle; and

Fig. VI illustrates a. duplicate arrangementnonz the'lefthand. side of. a vehicle, Figs. -V and VI being: spaced apart" substantially-1n: their; normal position.

A- brake applying shaft l:,. which; is; a. short. shaft; mounteda onzeacha side: of the: driving" axle housing to apply a brake by rotation thereof, 15 so well known as toneed no further description, has rigidly mounted thereon a jack-knife lever 2, composed of two parts, a lower bellcrank lever indicated by the letter A and an upper extension lever indicated by the letter B, which 20 are pivoted together in any suitable manner at 3.

Means are provided such as the cross plate 4 so that when the extension B is approximately in alignment with the lower bell crank lever A, further relative deflection is jack-knife joint arrangement consisting of the pivot 3 and the cross plate 4, the lower cross portion of which comes into engagement as at 4a, Fig. I, below the pivot 3.

The service brakes operate through the reach- 30 rod 5, pivotally connected tothe structure generally represented by the numeral 2 at 6. 5 is a solid rod as is customary and necessary to preserve the equalization of the brake system.

It is understood that the cross evener is 35 diagrammatic and that brake equalizing systems cannot, as a general thing, have an equalizing evener or beam clear across the underside of the vehicle body.

8 and 9 indicate the top oted control levers which may be placed in any convenient position handy to the operator of the vehicle and which are capable of applying tension to the cables I 0 and II and through them to the center pivot 3 of the jack-knife lever 2 45 by means of the clevices l2 and I3 pivoted at 3. See Figs. I and III.

It will be instantly apparent that selective application of manual power through either of the levers 8 01 9 will actuate the service brake connected thereto in any degree, proportionate to the power applied, without materially affecting the service braking equipment on any other wheel.

Drivers of vehicles equipped with this device become extremely skillful in its use and can pull prevented by the 25 view of vertical piv- 40 a vehicle out of a mud hole of the character indicated at the beginning of this specification with a motion so fast that it is difiicult to see what has been done, and release the auxiliary in time to apply the full power of the motor to both wheels as soon as they reach firm ground.

Obviously the jack-knife lever generally indicated by the numeral 2 may be constructed in many difierent forms provided attention is given to the essentials that the assembly must be rigid in all directions except one and in that one direction it must be free to jack-knife; as when tension is applied to the cable II and by its employment and by the use of a 'cable' instead of a rod at l l, the use of one system of brakes has little if any effect on the other system. There is very little tendency to compress the service brake rod 5. It merely bends 'down'a little as the angularity of the assembly 2 reaches the position shown in Fig. III, and when service braking is" apply said brakes, a jack-knife lever forminga part of said transmissions, a tension cable arranged to independently brake one wheel by energy applied at the joint of the jack-knife lever and means for selectively applying tension to the cable.

2. Means for equalizing the resistance of driving wheels on unequal tractive surfaces to power applied through difierential gearing, comprising a service brake for each driving wheel, transmissions forming a part of said service brake, said transmissions including a separate jack- ;knife lever in the transmission to each wheel and independent manual brake applying means cable *connected to the center pivot of each jack-knife lever whereby instant selective partial braking -may be applied to any given driving wheel without affecting any other wheel.

t 3. Means for equalizing the resistance of driving wheels on unequal surfaces when power is applied through differential gearing comprising in combination, a service braking device for each wheel, means for simultaneously actuating said brakingdevice with respect to all wheels and. independent means for selectively braking one wheel, defined in part as 'a transmission system for the service brake, said transmission including a jack-knife lever of the'character described in the part transmission system for each wheel and cable and lever means for bending said jackknife at its'pivo't, whereby braking effect is selectively applied to a single Wheel to compensate for deficient traction. 1

HENRY ENDRES. 

